Pumpkin Poppers

Weekly Pinterest Challenge: Pumpkin Poppers

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned, but not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• For Coating
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted (I only had salted on hand, and it worked just fine)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and spray your mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk till combined.
3. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk).
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
5. Using a cookie scoop, fill mini muffin tins until almost full. There should be plenty of batter to do this.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
7. While Poppers are baking, melt butter.
8. In a small bowl combine your sugar and cinnamon.
9. Let the poppers cool for a few minutes before rolling them around in the melted butter and then plunging them into their cinnamon sugar bath.
10. Enjoy!

EZ Bread from Aunt Ohleo

1 1/8 c. warm water
1 3/4 - 2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar (you can use a little more sugar if you like your dough a little sweeter)
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten (remember you don't need as much gluten if you are not using whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 Tbps. butter/margarine or oil
1/4 c. potato flakes

Add the ingredients in the order listed into a mixer bowl (like a Bosch or Kitchen-Aid) with a dough hook attachment and mix on low for 10-12 minutes.  Or mix it on the dough cycle in your bread machine.

After all the mixing is complete, if the dough still seems too gooey and you are unable to handle it, add 1 Tbsp. flour at a time, and mix after each addition until the dough is manageable with your hands.

Let rise 45 min - 1 hour, punch down and use to make bread, cinnamon rolls, cookie sheet pizza, rolls, or anything else you can think of!  Let rise after you have made your creation and bake according to the direction of the recipe you are making.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are making it into bread, form into a loaf at this time, place in a loaf pan, let rise in a warm place for 45 min - 1 hour and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.

If you are making this recipe in a bread machine, follow your bread machine's directions and add the ingredients in the order listed in their recommendations.  (Only one loaf will fit in a bread maker.)

Homemade Ricotta

I've only ever made this with UHT milk but I would guess it would work just fine with normal, store-bought cow milk too.

3 liters whole milk
1 liter cream (whipping cream)

Salt to taste - about 1 tsp.

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. citric acid (OR 1 Tbsp. lemon juice)

Mix vinegar and citric acid together.  (I use a glass measuring cup.)  Set aside for later use.

In a stainless steel pan, bring milk and cream to just shy of a boil (around 190 degrees Fahrenheit), stirring constantly.  (This prevents the milk from scalding and helps it all heat to the same temperature.)  The milk and cream should just start to foam around the edges.

Turn off heat and add vinegar mixture, stirring slightly.  Let rest until cooled.  The milk proteins and the whey will start to separate.

Once cooled, put a colander over a bowl (or pan).  (You will want the colander to sit high enough over the bowl to give the whey enough room to run off.)  Inside the bowl, place a butter muslim cloth.  (I use a flour sack towel which works but requires more time to drain.)  Pour ricotta mixture through the cloth-covered colander and allow the mixture to drain.

Once it has drained to your desired texture (about an hour for me), place in an airtight container.   At this point, stir in the salt to taste.  Mix well and then store in the refrigerator.

Reserve whey for making bread.  It is also useful in "feeding" plants.

Super yummy and great on toast, as a spread for sandwiches, in lasagna, and so many other yummy places!

Energy Bites

1 cup dry oatmeal (old-fashion)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ( if I don’t have this I just take it out)
½ cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let chill in the refrigerator for half hour or longer.  Roll into balls and store in airtight container and keep refrigerated for a week.

Kyle's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2 c. milk
1.5 c. sugar
4 c. cream
2 pinches salt
2-4 c. mint leaves, lightly packed (I use 2 cups of frozen mint leaves)
10-12 egg yolks (I use 10)
10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

In a saucepan over low-medium heat, mix together 2 c. cream, milk, sugar, & salt.  Mix until the sugar has dissolved.  Add mint leaves to mixture, turn off heat, and allow to steep uncovered for 30 min - 1 hour.

After steeping, warm mixture back up a little bit.  Once warm, pour mixture through a mesh strainer and then transfer mixture back to the saucepan.  Temper mixture into egg yolks with whisk and then whisk egg yolks back into mixture.  Heat to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (but no higher!) while stirring with a rubber heat-resistant spatula.

Once mixture has reached the desired temperature remove from heat and immediately strain through a mesh strainer once again.  Place strained mixture into a bowl that contains the other half of the cream.  Place in an ice-water bath and stir mixture constantly while it cools down.  Once it is lukewarm, place bowl in fridge.

After a few hours have passed, place mixture into an ice cream mixture.  While the mixture starts to turn into ice cream, melt chocolate in a double-boiler.  Once ice cream is almost to a soft-serve consistency, slowly pour melted chocolate over the ice cream as it mixes.  Once all the chocolate has been added and the mixture is the right consistency, place ice cream in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Yields: 2 quarts

Yogurt

7.5 c. UHT whole milk
2 small vanilla (Greek) yogurt
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Bring milk to 180 degrees F.  Remove pan from heat and add sugar, paste, and extract.  Whisk ingredients together.  Pull yogurts out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.  Let milk cool to 110 degrees F, stirring occasionally.  (This usually takes about an hour.)  Once milk is at 110 degrees F, place yogurt in small bowl and carefully add about 1 cup of milk mixture to the yogurt.  Whisk together making sure it is incorporated.  Once it is well-mixed, poor yogurt mixture back into the milk mixture and whisk again.  Pour entire mixture into yogurt maker and "cook" for 11 hours.  Then place yogurt in fridge and allow to cool.  The longer it cools the more it sets up.  I usually try to cool mine for at least 12 hours.

Yields: 2 quarts

modified from original recipe: http://www.thevintagemixer.com/2012/08/homemade-vanilla-bean-yogurt-recipe/

Kyle's Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia Style

Makes about 1 Quart (1 Liter)

3 c. (750 ml) heavy cream; or 2 c. (500 ml) heavy cream and 1 c. (250 ml) whole milk
¾ c. (150 g) sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Pour 1 c. of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot.  Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 c. cream (or 1 c. cream and 1 c. milk) and the vanilla extract.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving for another use and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.


Melissa's comments:  This recipe doubled makes enough to fit in my 2 ice cream bowls.  Use the cream/milk combo and it tastes very close to snow ice cream.  Now I don't have to wait for snow to eat snow ice cream! :)